Defiance County employee dead after accident

HICKSVILLE, Ohio -- A Defiance County employee has died after being injured Saturday morning at the refuse pickup center on Gingrich Road in Hicksville Township.

The injuries occurred as Max Hook, 87, of Hicksville, tried to back his vehicle up to a dumpster about 7:55 a.m. but instead rapidly accelerated forward, sheriff's deputies said. The vehicle struck Peter Simonis, 58, of Defiance, pinning him against a parked trailer.

Mr. Simonis, a county environmental services employee, was flown by medical helicopter to Parkview North Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he later died.

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